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NSRI EMERGENCY
OPERATION CENTRE (EOC)

087 094 9774

NSRI Richards Bay duty crew were activated following a request for assistance from 3 South African men on a sailing yacht reporting to be caught in heavy seas off-shore of Richards Bay motoring with one of their two motors after they had suffered a mechanical issue with the second motor. Being a Catamaran, on only one of two motors, they were battling to keep course and steer towards Richards Bay.

Our NSRI duty crew reported to our NSRI Richards Bay station 19 base where we launched the NSRI rescue craft Ocean Guardian.

NSRI EOC (Emergency Operations Centre), TNPA (Transnet National ports Authority) Port of Richards Bay Port Control, Police Sea Borderline Control and MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination) Centre were alerted.

Telkom Maritime Radio Services and NSRI Richards Bay duty controllers, assisted with marine VHF radio communications.

We rendezvoused with the sailing yacht, whose last Port of call was in Mozambique, in an electrical thunderstorm, 2 to 3 meter sea swells and moderate to strong South Westerly winds.

A towline was passed to the 3 yachtsman and a towline was rigged from their yacht.

We towed them into the Port of Richards Bay and rafted alongside them where 3 NSRI crew were transferred onto the yacht and we brought them safely to a berth at the international moorings without incident.

They had hoped to get to Durban but under only one motor power and some rudder steering issues, in the storm that came through while they were off-shore of Richards Bay, the safer option was to bring them into Richards Bay for repairs before continuing.

The operation was completed at midnight.

KALK BAY

NSRI STN 10 SIMON'S TOWN

Darren Zimmerman, NSRI Simon's Town operations controller, said:

At 12h01, Saturday, 17 February, NSRI Simon's Town duty crew were alerted to eyewitness reports of a child washed into the harbour, by a wave, at Kalk Bay harbour.

NSRI Simon's Town duty crew responded to our NSRI Simon's Town station 10 rescue base to prepare to launch rescue craft while the CoCT (City of Cape Town) water rescue network, NSRI coast watchers, NSRI rescue swimmers and CMR (Cape Medical Response) were activated.

CoCT lifeguards, nearby to Kalk Bay harbour, investigated.

It was reported by eyewitnesses that a wave that unexpectedly breached over the outer harbour pier had swept a local male toddler, in a stroller, and his dad, into the water together, while also sweeping some of the other pier pedestrians off their feet.

2 Good Samaritans, a local man, who was with his family on the pier, and a local man who works at Kalk Bay harbour, leapt into the water to assist.

The toddler, who had earlier just been unstrapped in the stroller, was kept afloat by his dad while the Good Samaritans reached them. The toddler was rescued from the water by the Good Samaritans who then assisted the dad from the water.

The stroller, and some other belongings, were recovered from the water by a third Good Samaritan, who also works at the harbour, who had also jumped in to assist.

Our NSRI Kommetjie station commander, in the area at the time on his private boat, responded into Kalk Bay harbour and docked his boat to go and check on the casualties.

By that stage we had been notified by eyewitnesses that all were safe and out of the water but medical assistance was required.

On arrival on the scene CMR paramedics initiated medical treatment to the child and to the dad. Both, in stable conditions, were transported to hospital by CMR ambulance for further care and for observation for non-fatal drowning symptoms. The dad remains in hospital for observation in the care of doctors and nurses.

The family are from Muizenberg and they regularly visit Kalk Bay.

We commend the Good Samaritans, and all of the bystanders and family members who were involved in helping, for their quick thinking to rescue the toddler and to assist the dad from the water.

The dad is commended for keeping his son’s head above water before the Good Samaritans reached them.

We commend a local lady who assisted to provide a warm jersey to the toddler.

SIMONSTOWN:

NSRI STN 10 SIMON'S TOWN

Andrew de Kock, NSRI Simon's Town duty, said:

At 15h06, Saturday, 17 February, NSRI Simon's Town duty crew, while responding to an incident at Muizenberg to assist NSRI station 16 Strandfontein, where a sea kayak had washed onto rocks at Muizenberg’s Bailey’s Cottage, and while investigating reports of a Hobie-Cat suspected to be in difficulty, or capsized, off-shore of Glencairn, we were alerted by a member of the local surf-ski community reporting that he and his brother were on the scene of a fellow surf-ski who was in difficulty approximately 300 meters North of Roman Rock Lighthouse.

The surf-ski that an American man was paddling on had reportedly collided with a reef at Roman Rock Lighthouse, Castor Rock, causing the surf-ski to break in two forcing the paddler into the water. Fellow paddlers had rafted their 2 surf-skis together and were adrift with the casualty man holding onto the rafted surf-skis and they were drifting towards the cardinal marker buoy, off-shore of Simon's Town.

Our duty crew launched the NSRI rescue craft Donna Nicholas.

On arrival on the scene we found one paddler on the scene assisting the casualty who was holding onto the surf-ski. The second paddler had continued paddling as the NSRI rescue craft was arriving.

The casualty man’s surf-ski was broken in two and adrift some 50 meters from them.

2 NSRI rescue swimmers were deployed into the water where they assisted the casualty paddler onto our rescue craft and the 2 parts of the surf-ski were recovered onto our rescue craft.

The surf-skier, that was assisting, was commended for the assistance, and he continued on his way while we brought the casualty man, in good spirits, to our NSRI Simon's Town rescue base.

The 52 year old man, from Charleston, USA, was rewarmed from mild hypothermia and he required no further medical care.

Requiring no further assistance the man was collected from our rescue base by a surf-ski community member.

The Hobie-Cat that we had earlier been alerted to had been righted by her crew and they were continuing under sail, requiring no assistance.

The paddler at Muizenberg’s Bailey’s cottage was safe ashore and he was injured requiring no further assistance.

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